


Change of Destiny (Sequel to Twist of Fate)

by FireflySummerwynd



Category: Bobby Dall - Fandom, Poison (US Band), Richie Kotzen - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Multi, Rock 'n' roll, off grid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27867138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySummerwynd/pseuds/FireflySummerwynd
Summary: Richie Kotzen was never expecting to meet the Love of his Life at an audition for what's now his second former band, and he certainly wasn't expecting to find out about her what he did. But there were a lot more Changes than he bargained for when he first met her, every last one of them being good.After Lyrica Graced him with a son he never thought he'd have, he couldn't help but start reevaluating his Life. With all the twists of Fate ever since meeting her, he couldn't help but think that maybe he'd been wrong about what he'd thought he wanted. Maybe the thing he needs now is the one thing he wouldn't have even considered two Years ago–a serious Change of Destiny.
Relationships: Richie Kotzen/Lyrica Cascade





	1. One

_December, 2003_

_Two Harbors, California_

It’d been a mere week since the Birth of his highly-unexpected son, but thirty-four-Year-old Richie Kotzen was more or less settled in his new home with his family. Just outside the small Town of Two Harbors on Santa Catalina Island, it was the perfect placeta raise not just his newborn son, but his daughter from a previous marriage. The spot overlooking what was known as Strawberry Cove was Calm, Serene, and idyllic–the very opposite of what his Life usually was a recording and touring artist.

At the moment, he was more or less sprawled out on the couch that sat parallel to the fireplace in the octagonal living room of his new, painstakingly-designed home. Said son–who’d been named Triton Robert as much for his birthplace as the man who’d helped deliver him–was sprawled out on his chest. Both were dead to the World since it was naptime, their mouths wide open as they slept peacefully, so they were unaware of anyone knocking on the door. That wasn’t true for daughter August, who’d just woken up from her own nap and padded the couple steps from the stairsta the door curiously.

Seeing a man she well recognized and his kids through the glass of it and the sidelights, she grinned as she reached up. Managing to unlock the door was easy enough since she was now six Years old, whether she was short for her age or not. Within moments, said door was swinging open, allowing her to admit the group she’d recognized into the house.

“Unca Bobby!” the lil girl giggled, grabbing his leg for a hug.

“Hey there, runt,” none other than Bobby Dall chuckled as he Returned the hug. “Where’re your parents? You’re not supposed to answer the door without them knowing someone’s here.”

“Silleh Unca Bobby,” she giggled as he picked her up, snuggling her against the other side of his chest from where he’d his own daughter–Zoe–snuggled. “Mama Lyrica and Daddy both said I can answer the door, as long as I rec–recog–”

“Recognize the person?” the bassist supplied with a chuckle as he gently kicked the door shut behind him.

“Yeah, that’s it!” August nodded emphatically.

“Well, in that case, who am I to argue?” he queried. “You’re not breaking their rules, so there’s no need for punishment.”

The lil girl beamed proudly before hugging his neck.

“So, again I ask–where’re your parents, girlie?” Bobby chuckled.

“Seepin’,” she giggled, letting go so she could point toward the living room. “Bubba’s noisy, and they’re tired a lot.”

“Well, that’s just how having a new baby goes,” the bassist told her, heading off in the Direction she pointed. “Zak and Zoe were no different as new babies fresh outta their mama’s belly.”

“Really, Dad?” This was asked by his now-thirteen-Year-old son.

“Felt like I was still on tour, even when I _was_ home,” he chuckled. “If I wasn’t sleeping much for one reason, it was another, so I well know Richie’s pain and crankiness there.”

“Yeah, Daddy’s cranky a lot now,” August sighed as he made his way past the dining table. “Bubba keeps him and Mama Lyrica awake a lot.”

“’Cuz new babies can’t do anything for themselves, so your parents’ve to do everything for him right now,” Bobby said, squatting down long enough to set both girls on their feet. “That’ll Change as Triton gets older, though, just like it did with you and my own boogers.”

The older brunette’s attention was quickly caught by a soft whimper that almost went unheard, which made him turn to see said baby fidgeting slightly. If the grimace on his face was anything to judge by, he was about to wake up howling and no doubt startle his daddy awake. For that reason, he leaned down to gently scoop him up, which still startled said daddy awake, as if he was hyper-aware of his surroundings–and he prolly was.

Chuckling softly as he readjusted the baby so he was cradling him, Bobby told him to either go back to sleep or take his Time waking up. It mighta been a few Years, but he’d like to think he still remembered how to change a diaper and wake up a sleeping mama so a baby could be fed. All he really needed was for August to lead the way to the nursery, then to wherever said mama was hiding.

Richie let his head drop back down with a groan as said daughter led his former band mate off with a giggle, barely waving at the other two kids before Cat-stretching. He couldn’t quite make up his mind which of the given options he wanted to go with at the moment, considering how tired he was. On one hand, he really wanted to go back to sleep since the bassist was right about a new baby being exhausting–but on the other, now that he was awake, he really needed to piss. It was for that latter reason that he finally pushed himself upright, Zak taking a step closer to steady him with a hand on his back when he seemed to sway a bit.

A quiet _thanks_ was muttered as he pushed himself to his feet after taking a few momentsta get his bearings. The young teen simply chuckled and said he’d make sure his sister was entertained, along with his own daughter upon her Return. He didn’t really remember much at this point, but he remembered both his parents being pretty tired when Zoe was a baby, so he knew he prolly didn’t want a lotta screaming and yelling going on right now. Gods only knew there’d be enough of that once his family’s reason for paying a visit got underway, especially once the other guests arrived, too.

“Thanks for dealing with Triton for me,” the virtuoso said, stretching again as he Returned from his potty break to see Bobby downstairs again.

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” he chuckled. “Like I was telling August, I remember how having a newborn is, if only vaguely, so I know your pain and crankiness.”

“Gods alive, I’d totally forgotten how it felt,” Richie admitted, unable to help a grin. “But I wouldn’t give it up for anything, especially not with him being as much of a miracle as he is.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” Zak queried curiously. He wasn’t quite willing to call this man one of his surrogate uncles yet, given that he barely remembered him from when he was a toddler and hadn’t gotten to know him very well now.

“If your dad’ll lemme, I’ll show ya where he was born,” he told him. “And fill ya in on what I mean on our way there.”

“Don’t be letting my kid fall down a Cliff just ’cuz you’re tired, man,” Bobby warned him. “Or you’ll be the next to _fall_ down it.”

“I was thinking of taking the long way, even if it means him stumbling in some of my waterproof boots,” he laughed. “Then again, after that first drop, he might do better than an adult just ’cuz he’s smaller.”

“As long as he comes back to me alive and in one piece, I’m good with either way,” the bassist said.

Nodding, Richie simply requested that he let his girlfriend know where he’d disappeared to once she came outta hiding. He didn’t want her worrying about him unnecessarily–not like he’d done for the better part of two Years with her–considering they’d enough to worry about right now. Making the trek down to the Cave where his son’d been born really wasn’t that hard, now that he’d long since gotten used to it, but he knew the mindset of a new mother well.

After grabbing jackets since it was on the chilly side, the virtuoso led Zak outta the house and toward the lil Hill that overlooked the Cliff his dad was talking about. Reaching the top of it, he led him across the short flat expanseta actually reach the Cliff’s edge, unable to help a smile as he did. He’d never get tired of the view from this spot, which was even better than back at the house on the back porch.

Taking care not to fall, he made the short jump down to the start of the foot path that led down the side of the Cliff to the Cove below. The teen waited till he’d straightened and reached up for him, seeming only a bit weirded-out by letting him grab his waist to lower him down. Once he was back on his feet and free of his grip, he warned him to go slowly and watch his step so he wouldn’t fall. The path was relatively safe–even without repelling gear–but it _could_ get a bit slippery whenever it’d recently rained, and he didn’t want him slipping.

“Ya seriously had to make this trek just to get to Lyrica in the first place?” he queried as they made their way down the Cliff.

“Seriously, kiddo,” Richie chuckled, nodding. “Didn’t know I was gonna have to when I first followed her here, but that didn’t stop me, even after I came to that realization.”

“How’dja even meet her, if she was living here?” the teen queried as they finally reached the edge of the Cove.

“She was gonna audition to be a part of Mr. Big’s _Farewell Tour_ as a backing vocalist,” he answered, pausing to let him catch up. “But the others thought she was too outta-shape to work with over those few months before the tour kicked off, not realizing that she really _wasn’t_ as unfit as she seemed.”

“’Cuz none of ya knew where she lived, and what she’d to do just to get back home, right?” Zak looked up at him with eyes just as big and brown as his daughter’s.

“Not the Day we met her, no,” the virtuoso answered with a shake of his head. “And while your dad and his band know, the rest of Mr. Big still doesn’t.”

Leading him into the Water, Richie made sure to stay in the shallow part around the edges so it’d be easier to wade through. Only moments later, they were walking up the rocky Beach that led to the Cave’s yawning opening, which was right below the Hill they’d to climb over originally. Seeing this spot brought back a lotta memories for him, some more recent than others, which made him smile.

Inside the Cave, he managed to find the matches Lyrica’d hidden Ages ago and get a small Fire going, both so they’d have Light and a heat source for however long they stayed down here. The teen with him looked around curiously, taking in the mess that’d been left from the week previous as well as just how quaint a home she’d managed to build here. He seemed Awed by how she’d managed to do such a thing in a place that appeared so desolate and depressing at first glance, which made his smile turn into a full-on grin.

Settling on what was left of her makeshift bed, the virtuoso started at the very Beginning of everything he’d ever learned about his girlfriend. Granted, that went all the way back to when she’d first Gypsy’d her way out here from North Carolina, but he dumbed it down as much as he could. But even still, Zak was amazed by how she’d lived in this Cave for even a couple Years before meeting him, never mind up till their son’s Birth the week previous.

“Lyrica didn’t even realize she was pregnant with him,” he said as the teen joined him. “If she’d realized it, I doubt she’d have stayed here in the Cave instead of at my old house on the mainland.”

“Prolly not, if only so she could get to a hospital quicker and easier,” said teen agreed.

“But ’cuz she didn’t know she was quite literally about to pop, she stayed right here,” Richie continued. “I’d just pulled up with your dad and the rest of Poison to drop off a load of our stuff so it could be put into storage when I heard the weirdest and most terrifying scream I’ve ever heard before.”

He couldn’t suppress a shiver as the boy’s eyes widened, and it’d naught to do with the chill.

“I’ve never heard that kinda scream in my Life, and I never wanna hear it again,” the virtuoso told him. “But if there’s one thing I’ve to be thankful for this _Yuletide_ Season, it’s that my son’s safe, healthy, and sound–and it’s thanksta _your_ dad that he is.”

“Wait, what?” Zak’s jaw dropped when he heard that.

“Bobby’s the one who realized what was going on almost as quick as I did when we got into this Cave and found Lyrica last week,” he said. “And apparently knew what to do to ensure a healthy mama and baby on top of it.”

“Ya mean, he actually helped her deliver Triton?” the teen queried, his expression a mixture of surprise and Awe.

“That’s why his middle name’s Robert,” Richie answered, nodding. “She wanted to name him after the two men who meant the most to her, particularly the one who’d helped with his Birth.”

“Wait, _two_ men?” He couldn’t help looking confused.

“Her grandfather’s name’s also Robert,” the virtuoso chuckled.

“Ah, I gotcha.” Zak nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Your dad apparently paid more attention when you and Zoe were born, so he knew what to do,” he said. “He’s the one who immediately started barking out orders and gave _some_ semblance of normalcy for delivering a baby in a freakin’ Cave, of all places.”

“Actually, Dad told me the doctor let him _catch_ Zoe when she was born,” the teen chuckled.

Laughing, Richie said that it was no Wonder his former band mate’d already known what to do and started barking out those orders, now that he knew that tidbit. If he’d gotten to catch his own daughter when she was born, he’d no doubt been Guided on a few things that he wouldn’t have been, himself when August was born. That kinda Knowledge clearly went a long way, though, and even if it was minimal compared to a trained OB/GYN, he was grateful that he had it.

But his expression quickly shifted to a slightly worried one as he continued his tale, Zak still listening Intently. He told him that not only was their son a miracle in surviving the circumstances of his Birth, but he was a miracle in even surviving up to that point. Considering Lyrica’s history of having miscarriages, he very well coulda died long before she’d have found out she was pregnant, had she found out at the very Beginning. For him to not only make it past that Danger zone, but all the way to a Birth that coulda killed him just as quickly–there were simply no words in any language for that.

Now the teen understood what he meant, though, when he’d said that he wouldn’t give up his son for anything, given what a miracle he was. The boy was his flesh and blood just like his young daughter, so he’d have no doubt formed an attachment to him eventually. But with all those circumstances piled on top of one another, he’d have been a fool to give up something so special and priceless.

It wasn’t long before the chill of the Season and the Cave combined started getting to both of them, and Richie decided it was Time to head back to the house. When he’d told Bobby that he wouldn’t let his son fall down the side of the Cliff to his Death, he’d also meant that he wouldn’t let anything else happen to him. That included even a mild case of hypothermia, which was why he’d lit the Fire that wasn’t quite keeping the chill at bay now. Once said Fire was out, the pair started making their way back up that Cliff, and during the trek, he’d a lot on his mind. He wasn’t willing to talk about any of it just yet, but he would eventually–and it’d prolly surprise quite a few people when he did.


	2. Two

Back in the house, Lyrica couldn’t help her grin as she nursed her newborn son, even though she was beyond exhausted. Since she knew how much he loved to cook in his off-Time, she’d loosed Bobby on her kitchen with her handmade cookbooks on the grounds that her house still be standing later. It certainly helped her out with finishing up any _Yule_ preparations that hadn’t been done quite yet due to unexpectedly having a baby and needing to make a lotta Changes due to that, alone.

Listening to said man’s daughter, Zoe, and August practically babble in their own language was another reason to smile, too. Ever since being introduced to one another a couple Years ago, they’d all but become inseparable, their friendship was so strong. In fact, the adults’d to sit down and really get the hang of emailing each other so they could teach the girls how to do the same. They were forever trying to run up phone bills so they could keep in touch otherwise, and neither dad wanted to pay a Sky-high phone bill when emails were cheaper.

Hearing the front door open and a pair of voices made the young woman look up from where she’d glanced down at baby Triton. Somehow, her smile only grew when she saw her man Returning with Zak, whom she’d been told he’d taken down to her Cave. Seeing him Return in one piece was what made her so happy since she knew he was exhausted from caring for their newborn son.

Once he’d hung their jackets on the hooks by the front door, said virtuoso all but made a beeline over to where she was settled on the couch. Lyrica couldn’t help laughing into the kiss he gave her once he leaned down, which sparked the girls into laughing. There was no doubt that–for all that he was wild, crazy, and just overall eccentric–he loved her more than he could ever put into words. Her giving him a son he’d never thought he’d have no doubt Strengthened that bond between them, and she couldn’t have been more glad. She also couldn’t wait till her postpartum period was over, but at the moment, hers and their son’s Health mattered more than getting laid.

“Somebody just couldn’t wait to nom with the rest of us, huh?” Richie chuckled, settling next to her.

“He’s a piggy, just like his daddy,” she laughed.

“I don’t recall having a curly tail,” the virtuoso retorted, his grin belying any malice. “Or a snout, for that matter.”

“Not that I’ve ever seen,” Lyrica snickered. “Butcha eat like a Pig, that’s for sure.”

“Nah, not unless I’m on tour,” he told her. “Can’t ever seem to get into a good rhythm unless I’ve a guitar in my hands, so I wind up skipping meals when I prolly shouldn’t.”

“And then ya wind up stuffing yourself like a _Mabon_ Turkey to make up for it,” the young woman said, grinning as she poked his belly. “You’re gonna pay for that one Day when ya start looking like you’ve a spare tire under your shirt.”

“Not if I keep hiking and rock-climbing like I’ve done for the last couple Years,” Richie laughed. “Takes more than leg and upper body strength to manage that without breaking my neck!”

“Too well I know it, _l’amore,”_ she agreed. “I did it for a lot longer every Time I wanted to so much as run into Two Harbors, after all.”

“I still dunno how ya did it, girl.”

Looking over to her right, Lyrica saw Bobby at the island, where he was working on one of her recipes while another bubbled on the stove.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong–I’m such an active guy, the rest of Poison and even my kids can have a hard Time keeping up with me occasionally,” he chuckled. “But I dunno that even I could go up and down that Cliff all the Time just to make a run to the store for something.”

“Easier and safer than hitchhiking across the country in the first place,” the young woman said, shrugging. “Especially since I didn’t come home with much at a Time, and what I _did_ get, I stuffed in a bookbag to make carrying it easier.”

He nodded as he looked back down to avoid chopping off a finger, knowing full well that she was unemployed. That meant that anything she got from the store was either pilfered goods, or something she’d just barely managed to scrape together the money to actually buy. But he wasn’t gonna admit that in front of the kids any more than she or her boyfriend were, and the couple seemed thankful that he seemed to be operating on the same wavelength as them.

Luckily for them, a knock at the front door kept anyone from even thinking of asking about what was being left unsaid. Richie groaned as he pushed himself up, the kids all looking toward the foyer–or rather, what the could see of it–as he headed off to answer that knock. No doubt he was at that stage of exhaustion where he didn’t even wanna breathe, let alone move anymore.

On the other side of the front door stood the entirety of both his former bands, who’d been invited to this Year’s _Yule_ celebration. He knew his smile was on the tired side as he opened said door to let them in, but the blondes who made up the rest of Poison knew why. They’d been present when Triton was born, so they knew why he’d be so tired right now and didn’t blame him for it. However, the guys who’d once made up Mr. Big–even former lead guitarist, Paul Gilbert–didn’t have a clue, so they couldn’t help a good-Natured laugh.

“Dang, man–been pulling all-Nighters so ya could get moved out here quicker?” Eric chuckled as he helped them hang up their coats.

“Well, that’s part of why I no doubt look like shit right now,” he admitted with a laugh of his own.

None of them got to say another word before a cranky cry rent the Air, which made him whirl to face the living room.

“Grab me a diaper while you’re up, Rich!” Lyrica called out as she cuddled their son so she could burp him.

“On it, sweetheart!” the virtuoso responded, gently pushing past his former band mates so he could dart up the stairs.

“What on Earth?” Billy reached up to scratch his head in confusion as they all shared a look.

“None of the blonde goofs’ve said anything, huh?”

Heading through the archway to their left, as viewed from the front door, they saw Bobby still hard at work at the island.

“Damn, got put to work, huh?” Bret chuckled.

“Nah, more like got turned looseta have fun making a mess,” the bassist laughed. “Lyrica knows I love cooking as much as I know how exhausted she and Richie are right now.”

“So, if turning him loose on my kitchen gets the _Yule_ meal cooked and served, I’m all for it,” she said as they meandered over to the living room.

“Good to see ya again, darlin’,” Rikki drawled as he settled next to her. “And the lil man, too.”

The other pair of blondes agreed with him as they settled on the Love seat under the windows, which sat perpendicular to one side of the fireplace. All of them wore smiles as they watched her, considering that she’d looked even more like shit when they’d gotten to see her at UCLA. If they were thankful for anything, it wasta see her and her son both alive and well a week later since things coulda gone so much worse.

However, the group of brunettes with them were more than a lil surprised to see the young woman holding an obvious newborn. Not only that, but they were even more surprised when she was able to move him to her lap, which gave them a good few of his face. There was no mistaking whose nose he’d inherited, no matter where he’d gotten the rest of his features. If this child didn’t belong to Richie as much as lil August did, they’d all find a way to suck their own dicks, even if it meant having a rib removed like Marilyn Manson was said to’ve done.

None of them got a chanceta remark on that, though, before said virtuoso joined the rest of the group with that requested diaper in hand. In his other hand was a tub of baby wipes, which he figured he might as well bring down since he’d already been in the nursery. And before he bothered settling between his girlfriend and the blonde drummer, he pulled more diapers from his back pocket, too.

“Lemme have him, and I’ll take this round,” he said. “Bobby took my turn when he first woke up, so I need to make up for it.”

“I’m definitely not arguing,” Lyrica told him, unable to help a grin as she let him have the baby.

“Course ya wouldn’t since it’s a dirty diaper,” the virtuoso chuckled, grimacing as he caught a whiff. “Good grief, boy–whas chu mama been feeding chu?”

Said baby started to fuss slightly as he settled him in his lap and started to unbutton his sleeper.

“All right, all right–hush dat fuss,” Richie crooned. “Daddy gon’ gets dat lil butt all cleaned up again.”

“Dude, I gotta ask–since when didja have another kid?” Eric finally spoke up, shock and Awe coloring his voice as he watched.

“Literally a week ago,” he answered without even glancing up.

“You’re kidding me.” This was stated by Paul, who was just as surprised as everyone else who actually knew him.

“Trust me, it was as much a surpriseta us as it is to the rest of ya,” the virtuoso chuckled.

“Seriously, man,” CC laughed. “I wasn’t expecting to help with the Beginnings of moving Day, only for my shirt to wind up being a receiving blanket!”

“Hey, don’t forget that _mine_ was the towel to clean the lil booger up!” the blonde vocalist said.

“Wait, what?” Even Billy was having a hard Time wrapping his head around what he was hearing.

“Long story short, Poison and I’ve been working at getting back on better terms for the last couple Years,” Richie told them, folding the used wipes up in his son’s dirty diaper. “’Cuz of that, they agreed to help me start hauling belongings out here, now that the new house’s done.”

“And we were doing just that when he asked us if we’d heard what sounded like a cross between a human and an Animal screaming,” Bobby said, meandering over from the kitchen. “Turned out to be Lyrica, who was about two minutes away from becoming a mama–and in the Cave she was living in.”

The virtuoso couldn’t help a smirk as he finally looked up at his second set of former band mates, his hands working on autopilot as he got Triton’s fresh diaper secured. He said that he still wasn’t revealing _where_ that Cave was unless his girlfriend let him, but it was that Cave that’d made him decide to move. Were it not for her attachment to it and the area it was in on top of her obvious hatred for City living, he wouldn’t have decided to make such a drastic Change. Course, even if he had, he might not’ve done it when he did, had he known he was about to become a father again.

Eric, Pat, Billy, and Paul were all shocked to find out that Lyrica hadn’t even realized she was pregnant till she got to the point of delivery, so it wasn’t that she was trying to hide it from him. They were still curious about the Cave that’d been mentioned from the Time they’d met her, though, which the others weren’t surprised by.

Laughing as Richie picked their son up to cuddle him while throwing away his dirty diaper, the young woman finally decided to give it up. Now that she wasn’t actually living in it, she didn’t mind them knowing where her Cave was since they wouldn’t really have a reason to seek her or her man there. For that reason, she walked over to the windows behind Bret and CC since they overlooked the back yard, a fond smile curving her lips. That smile didn’t fade in the slightest as she said that her Cave was literally at the bottom of the Cliff that those windows faced, which was a surpriseta the others since they hadn’t expected it to be so close.

Turning back to the group, she said that she’d take them down to the Cove that served as its front yard, if it weren’t for the fact that she’d just given Birth and wasn’t physically capable right now. Knowing that the virtuoso’d already been down there once this Morn, she wasn’t about to ask _him_ to do it for her. After all, such a pilgrimage wasn’t exactly necessary for survival anymore, so it wasn’t like it couldn’t wait. Besides, waiting till closer to Spring’d mean that the Cove wouldn’t be as cold, so nobody’d wind up with frozen feet or anything by trying to get to the Cave’s mouth.

“But Richie not only knows how much I like the Peace and solitude, but it’s good for him, too,” Lyrica said as she settled next to him again.

“Whaddaya mean?” Billy queried curiously.

“Found out I’m what’s called an Empath,” he answered, rubbing Triton’s back as he snuggled him. “Basically, I’m like a kitchen sponge with the Energy around me, for lack of a better way to put it.”

“Seriously?” Even the trio of blondes seemed surprised.

“Found out I’m actually the same way,” Bobby chuckled. “It’s not something we choseta be, or really have Control over–yet.”

“Empaths and Projectors alike’re born, not made,” the young woman explained. “They didn’t know what they were, and therefore how to cope with it till they met me.”

“How can ya tell if you’re an Empath or not, though?” Eric queried.

“There’s a list of traits that most Empaths embody the majority, if not all of,” she answered. “These two and I all embody the majority of that list in varying ways, so I could tell what they were almost as soon as I met ’em.”

“Wait, you’re one, too?” Rikki looked surprised once again.

_“Mmm hmm,_ and I’ma Lifelong Witch on top of it,” Lyrica answered. “So, while I’m not gonna claim to be an _all-Knowing Goddess,_ of sorts, I knew a lot more about coping with being an Empath than these two put together do right now.”

“She’s been helping both of us in ways we’ll never be able to thank her enough for,” Richie said, a gentle smile curving his lips. “That’s part of what made me compromise with this house.”

As he gently readjusted his son, the brunette bassist heading back to the kitchen to check on food, he made no bones about how badly he’d wanted his girlfriend to move in with him. He’d worried about her ever since that first Morn when she’d Returned him to the mainland after he’d followed her out here, when they’d all thought he’d gone missing. Knowing she was living off the Land with only a Cave as her shelter hadn’t sat well with him, but she was as stubborn as he was persistent. Eventually, he’d gotten his way to a certain extent, but only by compromising with her as much as he could.

Realizing just how much he liked it at her Cave when he’d visit her, the virtuoso’d decided that if she wouldn’t move to the mainland with him, he’d just move to the Island with her. It wasn’t the easiest thing to manage, considering all the bureaucratic red tape he’d to cut through to even get this plot of Land, but he’d done it.

Once he’d bought the Land, they’d started working on designing the house so it’d the architectural style that suited her, but was big enough for all of them. He’d even talked her into adding at least a couple roomsta the design that might wind up being guest Space as much as for Future family members. At the Time, they hadn’t talked about having kids together, but it turned out that he’d been right to be thinking ahead like that since their son was so unexpected.

Watching him with said newborn son, none of the others could say that he didn’t love the boy and want what was best for him already. The same could be said about the adoring looks he gave Lyrica from Time to Time, not to mention his daughter. It was pretty obvious that he was willing to do anything for them, even if it meant moving outta his preferred area. Such a sacrifice usually wasn’t easy to make, but he’d clearly done it for those who meant the most to him. Course, just the fact that they were all alive and well this holiday Season was something to celebrate–and celebrate, they most certainly did once Bobby got that food done.


	3. Three

Later that Night, Bobby’d run the younger couple off to bed around seven-thirty on the grounds that he’d take Night shift with their son. Both of them’d all but fallen asleep and face-planted in their food once _Yule_ dinner’d been served, and he knew they could use a good Night’s sleep. In knowing that and being an experienced father in his own right, he knew he could handle the boy overnight, and he didn’t mind doing so since he and his kids were spending the Night alongside the rest of his band.

It was for that reason that he was in the kitchen around Midnight, heating up one of the bottles Lyrica’d pumped, when said band came back inside. They’d wanted to go out both for a smoke break and to cool off a bit since all the cooking’d made it a bit warm inside. Considering that they were all Night Owls, especially while on tour, he wasn’t surprised when they suddenly appeared.

“The lil man’s done woke ya up, huh?” Bret chuckled, taking care to keep his volume down.

“Nah, I was still up,” he answered, moving into the lil hallway that housed the coffee bar and pantry so he could grab Triton’s bottle when the microwave beeped.

“I figured you’d have passed out already,” Rikki mused, unable to help a grin. “I mean, we’re used to running on Pacific Time, but wouldn’t it be, like–three in the Morn back in Florida?”

“Yeah, it would,” the bassist chuckled as he shook the bottle once he’d gotten the lid screwed on. “But I can be an insomniac sometimes, especially right after flying cross-country.”

“So, even if you’re exhausted, too, that’s why ya offered to take Night shift?” the shortest blonde queried curiously.

“Exactly. Why not give those two a break they could obviously use, if I know I’m prolly not gonna get any sleep, anywhore?” Bobby countered with a grin of his own.

“Hey, makes perfect senseta me,” the vocalist agreed. “Course, don’t think that at least I won’t help out with him, too.”

“You’ve your diabetesta worry about, or I’d take ya up on that,” he laughed, popping the nipple in the baby’s mouth once he deemed the milk perfectly heated.

“Then let me and/or CC help ya, if ya won’t let him so he’ll get some rest for once,” the drummer said.

“Yeah, ’cuz even if we can’t do anything but hold him for ya to go to the bathroom, it’d still help,” CC agreed.

“Not always the best idea to hold a baby, actually,” the bassist told them, heading over to the couch. “When they’re eating or sick, it’s great–but too much, and you’ll turn them into lil monsters.”

All three blondes looked curious as they joined him, none of them understanding how holding a baby could turn it into a lil monster. Keeping his volume down as he laughed, Bobby explained that not only would it cause instant-gratification issues, but it could give a baby separation Anxiety later in Life, too. He knew, ’cuz he’d made that mistake with Zak when he’d finally gotten off the road from the _Flesh and Blood_ tour, which his son’d been born in the middle of. Every Time he’d flown out to work on _Native Tongue_ after that, the boy’d lost his shit for the first week from wanting him so badly.

Even Rikki looked thoughtful as he pondered that, the first comparison that came to mind being his Dog and when he first left for tour. The lil bastard gave whoever he was dating or hired as a petsitter absolute hell for the first week or two, usually by constantly acting like he _wasn’t_ house trained. If holding a baby too much could make them act the same way, he could understand it being a bad idea.

Nodding as he pulled the bottle away halfway through it–which made Triton erupt with an angry screech–he said that that was why even he wouldn’t hold the lil guy too much. But babies innately wanted to be cuddled while they were eating, simply ’cuz of how a woman’d to hold a baby while nursing them. That was why he was cradling the lil guy against his chest till he moved him to his shoulder, the guys watching curiously as he started patting and rubbing his back. It took a few moments, but his reason for that soon became clear when the lil guy let out a soft burp, which made him smile as he moved to cradle him again.

After popping the nipple back into his mouth to Silence his cries, Bobby chuckled and explained that he’d learned real quick that burping a baby halfway through was better for them. It not only made them feel better by not having as much Air trapped in their lil belly, but it kept them from spitting up quite as much. Honestly, it was trick he was thinking about teaching the new parents, if they hadn’t already figured it out for themselves.

“Ya definitely know your shit when it comesta being a dad,” the guitarist chuckled.

“Well, I’ve only been one for thirteen Years now,” he retorted, grinning. “I’d like to think I’ve figured out a few things by now that even Richie prolly hasn’t.”

“He’s gonna be in for some shit by the Time this boy’s Zak’s age, isn’t he?” Bret queried.

“No shit, but by then, I’ll be able to get him through that _and_ a lil girl hitting puberty, too,” the bassist laughed. “Or rather, he and I’ll be pulling our hair out at the same Time with the lil girl part.”

“Yeah, Zoe and August _do_ look about the same age,” he mused.

“They’re about six months apart, actually,” Bobby admitted. “So, he and I’ll be ripping our hair out while Lyrica’s sitting outside, cleaning her shotgun on the front porch.”

“Or you’ll both be trying to go after some boy with said shotgun and she’ll be the one holding ya back,” the drummer laughed.

“Nah, she said on August’s fifth birthday that she’d be right there beside him with cleaning shotguns on the front porch,” he chuckled. “And I know, ’cuz they invited my kidsta that birthday party, and we got to talking about it while they were goofing off in the pool.”

“Sounds like you’re pretty fond of them,” CC said.

“Well, being completely honest here, Richie’s not an inherently bad guy,” the bassist told them. “Sure, he fooled around with Deanna back in the Day, but he seems like he’s learned his lesson with that kinda scenario.”

All three blondes nodded, although Rikki’d a bit of a sour look on his face at the memories those words dredged up.

“From what I remember of back then, drunk as I usually was, and what he’s said–well, I think the bitch was playing both guys like fiddles, and they were too stupid and hormone-driven to see it,” Bobby admitted. “But even if that _wasn’t_ the case, he doesn’t seem like he’d do such a thing to anyone else, if he sat and thought about the situation carefully beforehand.”

“’Cuz I wouldn’t.”

Looking over, they saw a sleepy-looking Richie padding into the kitchen, all of them glad he’d taken the Time to pull on a pair of PJ britches before he came down.

“If I could go back and have a do-over, the only reason I’d decide against it’d be Auggie,” he said. “But if she weren’t a part of the picture, I wouldn’t bother–Deanna was a waste of my Time, and a bigger headache than I ever cared for.”

Joining them after grabbing a Water bottle for himself, the virtuoso continued by saying that the only other reason he wouldn’t bother going back for a redo was Lyrica. If he were to go back and Change even his own Past, that might lead to him _not_ meeting her when he did, if at all. He still wasn’t entirely sold on sharing her with another man, as had been suggested at the very first _Yule_ celebration he’d ever shared with her, but he wasn’t giving her up any more than he’d give up his daughter.

Rikki was the only one to notice not just the Fire in the younger brunette’s eyes, but the slightly dimmed look that overtook the older one’s. He couldn’t help wondering what that was about, and he wasn’t the slightest bit shy about asking what was on his mind. None of them were expecting the answer they got, though, which started with his face slowly turning a deep shade of red.

Bobby didn’t exactly wanna, but he finally sighed as he let Triton be taken by his daddy, deciding that Honesty was the best policy here. He admitted that he’d been attracted to the younger brunette’s girlfriend ever since he’d met her, but hadn’t wanted to step on any toes by even saying so. Richie admitting that he was secure enough in his relationship that he didn’t let her voicing an attraction to another man bother him’d given him Hope at first, but that Hope’d quickly been dashed. Never once since he’d met her had he seen her look at anyone else with the slightest interest, let alone the kinda adoring looks she bestowed on her boyfriend.

Laughing softly as he changed his son’s diaper, said younger brunette told him that he was an idiot, if he couldn’t see Lyrica’s attraction to him. She was equally attracted to both of them, albeit for different reasons in some cases, but she’d quickly stomped that attraction to the bassist down. Not only did she not wanna lose the man she _did_ have by doing something stupid, but there were other factors that’d make her choose that, too. First and foremost was the amount of physical distance between them more often than not since she was too fair and just for her own good sometimes.

“I mean, she’d never get to see him without one of them flying out to the opposite Coast,” he said. “And that’d get pretty expensive after a while, as we all know.”

“True enough,” the drummer agreed.

“And I’m not sure I’d ever move back to California, especially not with two kidsta think about,” Bobby admitted.

“Not till they’re grown, that is,” the virtuoso said, picking his son up to cuddle him. “No more than you’ll ever get _her_ to move out East again since she clearly didn’t wanna be there anymore in the first place.”

“There’s no sense in trying to date a woman who’s already spoken for with that much distance between us,” he agreed. “So, whether I’d noticed the mutual attraction or not, better to just keep my hands off and my dick in my britches.”

“Prolly so,” Richie told him. “But who knows what’ll happen in the Future? It’s not set in Stone, so we might all get a surprise.”

“Hopefully of the pleasant variety,” Bret chuckled.

None of them could help a round of soft laughter, but the virtuoso was quick to agree with his former band mate’s sentiment. He admitted that–while he needed to think about certain things more now–he certainly hoped that any surprises he got continued to be of the pleasant variety. Then again, he wasn’t sure much of anything could top the miracle that was Triton, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still have Hope for the Future.

It wasn’t long before he said he was heading back to bed while he could, barely able to bite back a yawn enough not to wake the sleeping booger in his arms. Since he was heading upstairs, he said he’d put the baby back to bed on his way, if only so Bobby could hang out with the guys for a while longer. After all, it wasn’t like he got to see them all the Time, so he might as well hang out while he could.

On his way back to the master suite after tucking his son into his crib, Richie couldn’t help where his mind wandered. While he still wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, he knew it was hard for his girlfriend to fight her attraction to the other brunette. He also didn’t like the way he seemed so miserable, considering the hell he’d gone through with his divorce a couple short Years ago. Maybe sharing her with that man in particular’d work out well for all of them, but it was one of those things he needed to think about more. He didn’t wanna rashly agree to a polyamorous relationship on anyone’s part, only to have that decision come back to bite him later.

Settling back into bed next to Lyrica, he felt the exhaustion of the past week already overcoming him before his head even hit the pillow. Hearing her soft, content hum as he snuggled up to her back side and wrapped an arm around her waist drew a content sigh of his own from him. There was no Time to be thinking about anything as he felt his eyes drifting shut again before he was completely comfortable. All he could do was give in to his body’s demand for rest, his mind quieted by knowing that somebody’d tend to his son for him, even if that somebody wasn’t Bobby.


	4. Four

_March, 2004_

After three months that seemed to drag on as much as they flew by, Richie and his lil family were all but completely settled in their new home. His parents and siblings’d all been impressed once they’d finally gotten out to it for Christmas, and since it functioned well for their needs, he was more than happy with how it’d turned out.

The looks on his parents’ faces when he’d answered the door with Triton snoozing in one arm was absolutely priceless, though. He’d been hard-pressed not to erupt into laughter that woulda woken said son when their jaws dropped, especially when they realized he’d inherited his nose. Course, that hadn’t stopped Georgine from bitching him out in rapid-Fire Spanish, but at least he’d a damn good reason for not telling them about their new grandson sooner. With how crazy things were immediately after his Birth, moving, and then wanting to use him as a helluva Christmas present, it was a good surprise.

Even Lyrica couldn’t deny that her would-be mother-in-law simply doted on her new grandson, whom she almost wouldn’t let go of, even for him to be fed and changed. It was pretty clear that her inner mommy was coming out again, but since the new parents’d still been exhausted even then, it was a welcome break again. Being able to just kick back and relax while his parents took over for a while meant they didn’t have to worry while they recharged a bit.

By the Time the Sabbat that his girlfriend called _Ostara_ was on the horizon, the couple’d definitely found a rhythm they could work with. They’d gotten their son on a pretty decent schedule that actually allowed them to sleep at Night within a month of his Birth. Given that she’d started kindergarten the Autumn previous, a few Changes’d to be made for August’s daily schedule during that Time. It was already an hour and a-half to the nearest schools across the Island in Avalon–keeping her in her previous school on the mainland just wouldn’t have made sense. Luckily, the lil girl was all for either Changing schools or simply being homeschooled, depending on what proved to work out better for the entire family’s needs.

During those three months, though, Richie’d done some serious thinking about the Direction his Life’d been heading. When he was a teenager with no Responsibilities other than himself, he’d thought he was Destined to be one of the greatest rock stars alive. But once he’d his daughter, he’d started to question that particular Destiny a lil more, especially as she got older. Once his son was born so unexpectedly, he’d _really_ started questioning whether being a rock star was his true Destiny. It was moving out to Catalina and adjusting to Lyrica’s way of Life more and more with every passing Day that made him finally make a surprising decision.

“Hey, sweetheart–I wanted to talk to ya about something,” he said. Triton was cradled against his chest as he fed him since he wasn’t quite old enough for baby food just yet.

“’Cuz I’m pretty much the only one who gets ya, aside from maybe your parents?” the young woman queried with a chuckle.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Richie answered with a nod. “I think you’re prolly the only one who’s _not_ gonna look at me like I just grew an extra head or something.”

“Well, go ahead and shoot,” she told him, finishing up lunch since that’s what she’d been working on.

“Being completely honest, I think that once I get _Get Up_ on shelves, I’m at least temporarily retiring from the Music industry,” the virtuoso said, knowing how she hated a bunch of hemming and hawing.

“Come again?” Lyrica’s eyes widened as she looked up at him like a Deer in the headlights. “’Cuz I _swear_ I just heard a stubborn, Creative bastard who just can’t quit say he was _retiring.”_

“I didn’t say it’d be forever!” he laughed. “I might eventually get back into it, and who said I couldn’t still work on new tunes in the meantime?”

“What on Earth sparked _this_ kinda decision, though?” the young woman queried, starting to get her wits about her again.

“Honestly, I’d already started entertaining such a notion when Auggie was born,” Richie sighed. “But I still needed a fuck-ton of money, if I wanted to give her a decent Life–and having such a high-maintenance wife didn’t help that.”

“But now, after moving out here where we’re off-grid…” She hummed thoughtfully as she started to get where he was going.

“Exactly. Since we’ve our own desal system and Solar panels, there’s pretty much no billsta pay–we’re living off the Land almost like our Ancestors woulda,” the virtuoso said. “All I’ve to really pay is taxes on the house and Land it’s on, as well as our cars, now that I’ve bought you your own, too.”

“Don’t forget meat since we’re only planning on a Garden, not a full-on cattle ranch,” Lyrica laughed.

“I was getting to those kinda things next, ’cuz while I’m no expert, something tells me that part won’t cost nearly as much,” he chuckled. “Well, not once we get that Garden _really_ going, that is.”

“It’s cheaper to seed everything yourself, but with two kids and how much we eat, I don’t think we’ll get the Garden started till next Year, if we go that route,” the young woman admitted.

Nodding, Richie said that he didn’t mind paying extra to actually get the Garden started since it wasn’t like they could all starve for a Year. In a way, he’d no doubt get his money back over Time by _not_ having to spend it constantly on gas since they’d have half as many tripsta the store to make. And that wasn’t even counting what he’d spend at the store once they got there, especially when one added in certain toiletries that they prolly couldn’t make.

Since he was eventually gonna be saving a lotta money, he didn’t see any reason to be constantly working his ass off. Lyrica knew damn good and well he’d disappear into the home studio he’d wanted in the house design anytime he got a certain itch, but he’d a point. Toby Keith’d said it well when he said in one of his songs that he wasn’t gonna break his back for a million bucks he couldn’t take to his grave. If her boyfriend was sure in his decision about pulling a Lita Ford, as it were, she was all for it and there to support him. The thing that mattered to her was that he really _was_ sure about his decision, ’cuz she knew he’d only live to regret it, if he wasn’t.

Nodding as he moved Trition to burp him, the virtuoso assured her that he was certain in the decision he seemed to’ve already made. As he’d said before, he’d already been thinking about it for several Years, as it was–he just hadn’t had a good enough reason to actually do it. With a second parent in the picture and moving to Catalina, he’d ever reason and then some to do it now.

The young woman couldn’t really argue with that as she headed to the back door so she could call August back in for lunch. He was as hard-headed and stubborn as her beloved pappaw sometimes, so if he’d already made up his mind, she knew there was no Changing it. Besides, she was gonna enjoy having him home more, rather than having to watch him hit the road for the better part of the Year. No doubt his daughter’d agree once she heard the news, prolly enough to wanna have a lil mini-party to celebrate her daddy staying home more.

Just like they’d suspected, the lil girl was ecstatic when Richie made the announcement later that afternoon. Her eyes positively lit up like Light bulbs when she found out that he honestly wanted to be home to spend more Time with her and her baby brother both. And that wasn’t including getting more Time with his girlfriend on top of it, which was definitely a plus in his book.

Even his parents were surprised when he called to tell them about the decision he’d made since they weren’t gonna get to join them for _Ostara_. They knew how hard he’d worked to get from just playing guitar in his spare Time or in a garage band to making it to where he was in Life. He’d made a name for himself, even if it’d a few bad things tied to it due to his Youthful stupidity, but it was still a name all the same. The fact that it was in one of the hardest industriesta make it big in made it an even bigger accomplishment, so they were surprised to hear that he was giving it up, even temporarily.

When they heard his full reason for why, neither Georgine, nor Rich, Sr. could really blame their younger son for feeling that way. They knew how much he missed his daughter when he was on the road, and now he was no doubt gonna miss his son just as much. Considering the state he’d come home from Mr. Big’s _Farewell Tour_ in, they knew he missed Lyrica just as much when he was gone. If he was sure about more or less taking a break without going bankrupt, they were more than supportive.

“I’m definitely sure about it, Mom,” the virtuoso was saying. “I know basically going from rock star to off-grid farmer’s gonna take some adjusting, but at least I get more Time with my family.”

_“You’re right about that, for sure,”_ Georgine laughed. _“I haven’t known ya to grow a plant a Day in your Life!”_

“Hey, that’s the good thing about all but being married to a Witch,” he retorted. “If all I can do is dig the holesta put them in–well, at least I’m doing my part.”

“It’d prolly be easier for you to do that part, anyway,” his girlfriend agreed. “Not saying you’re fat or anything, butcha weigh more than I do. If you’ve to jump on the shovel to help break through some of the dirt, you’d get it done quicker and easier than I would.”

_“Really?”_ Rich, Sr. queried, Curiosity and surprise coloring his voice.

“Where I grew up, it’s pretty much nothing but red clay,” Lyrica said. “If ya didn’t have a tiller, or a Horse-drawn plow, ya could pretty much forget breaking through anything without jumping on the shovel or having an excavator brought in.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely _not_ paying for the latter,” Richie chuckled. “Course, I don’t think we’ll have that much trouble–a lotta the ground’s still broken up just from building the house since we’d to totally break ground for it and running things like Water lines.”

_“I guess that’s a benefit,”_ his mother mused. _“Especially once ya get that Garden going and don’t have to make as many tripsta the store.”_

“Especially since it’s a forty-five-minute drive just to the general store in Two Harbors, which doesn’t always have everything we need,” he agreed. “And the closest store aside from that is Von’s, which’s an hour and a-half away in Avalon like August’s school.”

_“Speaking of, how’s she taking the news?”_ his father queried.

“Oh, she’s ecstatic about getting to spend more Time with me,” Richie chuckled. “And if I’ma be home more, we might just switch her to homeschooling since it’ll be less pressure on Lyrica.”

“Not to mention less gas since neither of us’ll be making that drive across the Island just to take her to school five Days a week,” said girlfriend agreed.

Neither of his parents could really argue with that, considering they no doubt used a lotta gas and wasted a lotta Time on that alone. Granted, they’d still have to make a weekly or bi-weekly trip down to Avalon so they could mail off August’s school work, but the savings’d quickly add up. They could make any tripsta the store at the same Time that they headed off to do that, and at least that didn’t have to be done all but two Days of the week.

After bidding his parents a good Night since it was starting to get late on the East Coast, the virtuoso heaved a sigh of relief. Now that they’d been told about his decision, he really only had to tell the band he’d been working with on his solo albums. They’d no doubt be a bit upset about essentially being outta work at first, but they’d get over it and find new bands eventually.

Other than his solo band and parents since he knew the latter’d tell his siblings once they got the okay, he didn’t really have anyone elseta tell. Well, nobody that’d really be affected by his decision directly, that is–everyone else was some form of friend, but not a part of any band he was in. No doubt they’d all be surprised, depending on how much of his private Life they knew about, but that was a given. The ones like Poison and Mr. Big who’d pretty much been filled in entirely wouldn’t exactly be surprised, especially Bobby. If there was anyone who’d get his reasons the quickest, it was the older brunette since he no doubt had many of the same concerns.

For the moment, Richie’d no Intentions of telling anyone else, which was something he’d made clear to his parents. Like he’d said before, he wanted to wait till his almost-finished album was released and on shelves before he said anything publicly. That included friends and family that weren’t directly involved or otherwise affected, whom he’d tell before the public announcement. He wasn’t so heartless as to make them find out at the same Time as the public, but he didn’t wanna give them any chancesta leak anything before he was ready.

There was clearly a lot to plan out when it came to even a temporary retirement, but he was up to the challenge as much as he was with living off-grid to see his family happy.


	5. Five

_June, 2004_

Roughly three months later, about halfway between August’s seventh birthday and the Sabbat his girlfriend called _Litha,_ Richie finally got his album released for sale. _Get Up_ was his thirteenth album since the start of his career back in the late-eighties, if one didn’t count his acoustic album from last Year. For that matter, that count wasn’t even counting the lone album he’d done with Poison back in the Day, nor the two he’d done with Mr. Big. Whether he ever made as big a name for himself on his own as those two bands’d done collectively or not didn’t matter–he still had quite the income from all his albums put together.

For that reason, he completely vetoed even setting up a tour to support this album, let alone actually going out on one. To steal the title of one of the songs on this new album, he was losing his mind when it came to the constant cycle of touring and recording. He wasn’t worried about money and making more of it by touring to support this album like he’d been in the Past. Either his devoted fans’d hear about and buy it on their own, or they wouldn’t–which meant they weren’t true fansta start with.

Those Thoughts were far from the forefront of his mind on the Morn of _Litha,_ though, which was just how he wanted it. Having never really been told much about it, the virtuoso’d been curious about the Sabbat in question and raided his girlfriend’s _Craft Case,_ as she called it. Lyrica’d tons of books about her chosen Spirituality, now that she’d the money with which to acquire them. Her only limit on what he read at any given Time was nothing beyond those about the Sabbats, or maybe one entitled _Elemental Witch_ so he wouldn’t get into something _too_ advanced.

Holding one of said books about the Sabbats, their Ancient Traditions, and more Modern waysta celebrate them in one hand, Richie’s other hand held his son’s bottle as he drained it. At six months old, Triton was eating mostly stage-one baby food–or rather, the homemade variant his mother made for him–and nursing or getting the breast milk she pumped for him. They were working on transitioning him to stage-two, but going by some of the things they’d found from baby food companies like Gerber, they really stuck to giving him that kinda thing one Day a week for now. He was making progress at more or less the perfect Time for his age, and that was the thing that mattered to both parents more than anything.

Glancing down when he heard him start sucking more Air than he wasn’t right before he started to fuss a bit, the virtuoso laid the book he’d been reading aside. No matter how old they got, his kids always took precedence over even learning something new, especially his infant son. To that End, with the book laid aside with a bookmark between its pages so he wouldn’t lose his place, he turned his full attention to said son.

“Just couldn’t wait to dive into my books so ya could learn more about _Litha,_ huh?”

Looking up from nuzzling his son’s head as he burped him, Richie chuckled at seeing his girlfriend. “Ya know I’ve been wanting to learn more about each Sabbat as they rolled around.”

“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” she laughed. “Better to do it that way, if ya ask me–it keeps ya from getting overwhelmed with an information overload, not to mention gives ya Time to make notes, if ya really wanna.”

“Yeah, ’cuz I didn’t know a damn thing about _any_ of the Sabbats before I met you–hell, I didn’t even know they _existed,”_ the virtuoso admitted. “But while I like learning cool lil tidbits–like how I’m able to see Auras and never knew it–I don’t wanna implode my brain with too much all at once.”

“Yeah, you’ve had fun with seeing Auras ever since ya started practicing that part, huh?” Lyrica couldn’t help a grin that clearly said she was proud of him.

“Going by the list of Color meanings, I’ve been learning a lotta shit about people I’ve known for Years that I never woulda suspected ’cuz of that,” he answered.

“Or finding a new layer of confirmation for something you’ve felt in their Energy before,” the young woman said.

“Yeah, that, too,” Richie agreed, nodding as their son finally burped right in his ear. “Finally, the boy lets out some hot Air!”

“At least it came out the attic, not the basement!” she laughed.

“Seriously, ’cuz good Lord and sweet Lady, what’ve ya been feeding him?” The virtuoso knew she’d realize he was just teasing her based on his grin, alone.

“I dunno what it is about males, but they stink worse than females–till Beans’re involved,” Lyrica snarked back with a grin of her own. “When Beans get involved, forget it–there’s no telling male and female farts apart.”

“I can call a truce on that,” he agreed with a chuckle. “In the meantime, this boy needsta be changed, ’cuz he’s at least a wet diaper.”

Nodding, the young woman said she’d a few more thingsta do before she could really start setting up for today’s _Litha_ celebration. She’d started off the Morn with one of her Pagan recipes–well, technically two since she’d served her harvest muffins with Orange-honey butter. Keeping in mind that they were Intent on grilling Chicken–part of which was being set aside for a totally different dish that Night–she needed to decide on something for lunch that wouldn’t overload them on Maters. After that, she’d to finish getting all the various drinks she Intended to make–well, made so they were mixed up.

Richie openly admitted that he wasn’t much of a chef unless he was following someone else’s recipe, so he was more than happy to keep the kids out from under her feet. Granted, keeping their son outta the way wasn’t all that hard–if he wasn’t holding him, all he’d to do was put him in his playpen or baby swing. However, unless she was in the pool, his daughter was a completely different story, especially since she seemed to like cooking.

As he was headed back downstairs from Triton’s nursery, his son giggling up a Storm as he tickled him, he was surprised to hear a car door slam outside. Most of their friends and family weren’t able to make it for the celebration, so they hadn’t bothered extending an invitation. Hearing that car door made him wonder who’d just pulled up, but he certainly wasn’t expecting to peek out and see Bobby.

“Hey, man,” the virtuoso said as he opened the door to let him in. “I thought you’d have been on your way up to Washington by now.”

“Those bastards’ll be lucky if I go back at all,” he grumbled. “Hopefully, I won’t be encroaching by choosing to hide out here till I decide whether I wanna rejoin the tour, or go back home to Florida.”

“We’re just setting up for _Litha,”_ Richie told him, closing the door behind him. “Well, Lyrica’s doing the cooking and setup–I’m just keeping her from killing the kids by keeping them out from underfoot.”

“Better than having dead kiddos thatcha gotta give a Naval burial to,” the bassist chuckled.

“Bobby, what on Earth?” Lyrica peeked into the foyer, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Long story short since I really don’t wanna talk about it right now–the guys’re assholes, they were getting on my last nerve, and I’m torn between rejoining the tour after a few Days or going back home to Florida,” Bobby told her, leaning down to hug her.

“Well, the more, the merrier,” the young woman said. “Especially when it’s one of the Sabbats since they’re supposed to be merry, anywhore.”

“Which one’s today? ’Cuz Richie saidja were setting up for something, but I didn’t realize it was a Sabbat.” He gladly let the aforementioned man take his bags upstairs for him, even though one arm was still full of infant.

_“Litha,_ which’s almost the polar opposite of _Yule,”_ Lyrica answered. “Instead of celebrating the Return of the Waning Sun, we’re celebrating its Power at its peak.”

“Ah, I gotcha.” The bassist nodded. “Lemme wash up, and I’ll jump in to help ya since I could use something to get my mind off the past few Days.”

“Hey, dive right in and enjoy making a mess,” she laughed. “I’m not turning down the help, especially if I’ma have to scale up my recipes a bit to feed even you and it keeps ya outta my _Litha_ Julep, as I call it.”

Naturally, Bobby was more than a lil curious as to what she meant, his brow cocked curiously as the virtuoso Returned with their son. She wasn’t shy in saying that it was a highly-alcoholic drink that she fashioned around the Sabbats–meaning there was more than one version of it. But as a recovering alcoholic, the last thing she was gonna do was let him even taste-test it so he wouldn’t be tempted by his old vice on her watch.

The bassist couldn’t help a laugh as he shook off the worst of the excess Water from his hands, then turned to grab paper towelsta completely dry them with. He admitted as openly as her boyfriend that he’d no desire to tempt Fate with his old vice after all the hard work he’d put into getting dried out. Bouncing in and outta rehab for the better part of a Year before his sobriety really and truly stuck hadn’t been fun, and he’d no desire to go through another nine rounds in the ring, so to speak. In fact, he’d prefer a lobotomy without being knocked out for it over that, and that spoke even more volumes.

It didn’t take long to finish up the Strawberry-Spinach salad that was being served with honey-Lime dressing, as well as the main dish of roasted herb Chicken. While their friend was finishing up the Cucumber pumpernickel sammiches Lyrica’d also Intended to serve, she finished up the drinks that’d been steeping for a couple hours. Considering the Time of Year, she was more than satisfied with how those drinks–her Solstice Fruit fizz and Blueberry-Lavender lemonade–turned out.

Once everybody was gathered at the dining room table, she couldn’t help a grin as they all grabbed hands, Triton settled in her lap. Even Richie was still adjusting to some of her ways–such as how she said Grace prior to a meal, if she even bothered with it at all. He’d never heard a phrase like _Good bread, good meat_ – _good Goddess, let’s eat!_ before meeting her, so it’d been quite the surprise the first Time she’d ever said it. It wasn’t quite _that_ much of a surprise anymore, but he still almost always forgot that was gonna come outta her mouth till she actually said it. But the thing was that it was more than fitting, especially on a Sabbat like today, so he couldn’t really argue it.

“Okay, I can’t even Begin to lie–this is good, girl!” Bobby chuckled after sampling everything in front of him.

“Oh, just wait till tonight,” the young woman laughed. “’Cuz it’s gonna be every bit Pagan in Nature, but prolly more familiar than you’d think.”

“I can’t help my Curiosity now,” he admitted with a boyish grin.

“Neither can I, man,” her boyfriend agreed.

“Uh, uh, uh–magickians don’t Reveal their Secrets,” Lyrica admonished them, unable to help a grin of her own.

“That’s no fair, woman!” the bassist laughed.

“Seriously, hon,” Richie chuckled, reaching for his glass. “Makes me wanna find the fast-forward button on Life just so we can find out faster, that’s for sure.”

“But then we don’t get a pool party, Daddy!” his daughter giggled.

“A pool party, huh?” Bobby queried.

“That kinda thing and barbecues’re some easy waysta celebrate _Litha,”_ Lyrica explained when he cocked a brow at her. “Especially if you’re celebrating with a bunch of non-Pagans who dunno whatcha are, or just don’t get any other part of the Sabbat.”

“Can’t really say there’s anything wrong with that,” he mused thoughtfully.

“Diving into the pool, goofing off with a slip-and-slide–really, anything along those lines works, if you’re not gonna dive into the Sea,” the young woman chuckled.

“Till we get to tonight, that is,” Richie snickered, grinning as he recalled the most recent Sabbat before this one.

“Do I even wanna know?” the bassist asked, cocking a brow curiously.

“Assuming that she even wantsta enact the _Great Rite_ again at all, prolly not,” he chuckled.

“Basically, think Ritual sex,” his girlfriend laughed when their guest looked confused. “’Cuz that’s pretty much what the _Great Rite_ boils down to.”

Bobby couldn’t help choking on his drink when he gasped in surprise at hearing that particular explanation. He’d never heard of such a thing before in his Life any more than he thought his former band mate had before meeting this eccentric young woman. Course, he couldn’t deny that he was curious about what she meant when he finally managed to stop coughing and could speak clearly again.

Lyrica grinned and said she’d tell him, but not with lil ears within earshot of the conversation since it wasn’t exactly kid-friendly. Well, that was more so for kids about her would-be stepdaughter’s age since she obviously didn’t even know what sex was in the first place. Kids about Zak’s age might get it a bit better, but that was dependent upon whether they’d gotten _The Talk_ yet. Not getting such a talk from their parents’d make explaining the _Great Rite_ confusing and even less kid-friendly to even a kid of his age.

After everybody’d finished lunch and pitched in to clean up–which served the purpose of making August wait half an hour before jumping into the pool–the group headed out to the patio. Richie couldn’t help laughing as said daughter headed down the trio of steps that led to the nearest side of the pool deck ahead of him. His lil girl was more exuberant than a lotta folks gave her credit for, especially when any form of Water was involved.

While the virtuoso was sitting on the top step that led down from the corner of the pool to supervise his daughter and let his son splash a bit, the other pair settled in the shade of what was technically the back porch. His attention riveted on the young woman at his side, Bobby didn’t try to hide his Curiosity about what’d been mentioned earlier. Said young woman couldn’t help a grin as she laid it out for him, the explanation simpler than what he’d been expecting. At its most basic, the _Great Rite_ was more or less an Ancient Fertility Rite that was typically enacted during the Spring Sabbats, _Ostara_ and _Beltane_. Granted, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be enacted at other Times of Year for other purposes–after all, _Litha_ was a bit of a Fertility Sabbat in its own right.

Humming thoughtfully, he admitted that it might not be something for him on a personal level, but then again, he didn’t really know. Before meeting her, he’d never met any Witches–at least, that he’d known of–so he’d no reason to partake in such a Rite. The fact that they weren’t together in a Romantic sense meant he wasn’t about to try such a thing with her, so he doubted he’d get to try it for himself in this Lifetime. Not unless he wanted to chance getting his ass kicked for basically doing the same thing his former band mate’d once been accused of, whether it was true or not, that is. And if he were completely honest, he _didn’t_ wanna do that–especially after how his own marriage’d Ended.

What the bassist didn’t realize as he headed off to join the others in the pool was that he’d just opened up a door to something else Lyrica’d been discussing with her boyfriend recently. A somewhat mischievous grin split her face, but she’d an idea in mind–it’d just require getting both men together for a group discussion _without_ any lil ears around.


	6. Six

About an hour after managing to get sleepy kiddos outta the pool and subsequently down for a nap, the adults were content to relax on the massive set of stairs in the pool. They’d brought out a baby monitor so they could keep an ear on baby Triton, and from the sounds of things, he was snoozing peacefully in his crib. His big sister could come outside and find them on her own, if she woke up before they went back in, which was fine by them.

Turning his attention to his girlfriend, Richie wasn’t surprised by the somewhat calculating look that’d overtaken her face. What made him chuckle was realizing that there was a hint of mischief–or something along those lines, anywhore–mixed in. Naturally, that caught the other man’s attention from her other side, which garnered him a cocked brow.

“What’s up with ya two?” Bobby queried curiously.

“Ah, just thinking about how well I know my woman,” he snickered, reaching over to wrap an arm around her.

“I’m half-terrified to ask what that’s supposed to mean,” the bassist chuckled.

“I can read the look on her face better than you’d think,” Richie said, unable to help a grin. “A metric fuck-ton better than I’d have been able to three Years ago, come September.”

“I’m not sure that that’s very reassuring,” he admitted with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, there’s nothing to be nervous about,” the young woman laughed. “He just knows what’s on my mind, ’cuz he and I’ve talked about it recently.”

“That so, huh?” Bobby asked, a bit surprised when she reached over to grab his hand like _they_ were the ones dating.

“Yeah, we have,” the virtuoso answered with a chuckle of his own.

Naturally, his former band mate was confused as to what they could possibly be getting at, and he made no bones about that. Unable to help a shit-eating grin, he told him to think back to the _Yule_ previous, when he’d walked in on his late-Night conversation with the rest of Poison. He figured that’d give him a good enough hint without actually saying what he meant, which’d prolly be a lil too embarrassing for him right now.

The bassist’s jaw dropped as it suddenly clicked for him, much to the amusement of the couple sitting to his left. Lyrica couldn’t help bursting into laughter at the look on his face, ’cuz it was no doubt quite the surpriseta hear that for him. She still knew his expression’d get even better once they actually got into what they’d been talking about lately, though.

After they’d all Calmed down so they could talk, Richie told him that he’d considered the notion of sharing his girlfriend ever since the very first _Yule_ they’d celebrated together. Since he’d spent a lotta that Time on the road–both as part of a full-fledged band _and_ as a solo artist–they hadn’t exactly gotten a chanceta talk about it. Not only that, but he wasn’t too sure he could trust just anyone to date her simultaneously, but not completely shatter her heart. That was the kinda thing he’d kill a mother fucker over, even if it landed him with a Life sentence that kept him from ever seeing either of his kids again before they all died.

But aside from the Trust angle–which went even deeper than that–he knew how attracted she wasta Bobby when it was all said and done. The young woman hadn’t expressed an interest in anyone but the two of them for as long as he’d known her, and that made for a bit of a monkey-wrench. After all, Trust was a big key to what they’d been talking about lately, but nothing else mattered, if she wasn’t attracted to whoever he wound up sharing her with. On top of that, that _whoever’d_ to be equally attracted to the young woman, not to mention open to sharing her as much as he was.

“I mean, I’m not gonna sit here and say just the Thought’s not driving me crazy, ’cuz it damn well _is,”_ he admitted.

“Then why even think, let alone talk about it?” Bobby queried. “’Cuz that’s the part I don’t get.”

“If you’d to see the longing look in her eyes that I’ve seen, you’d at least consider it, yourself,” the virtuoso dead-panned.

He couldn’t help a thoughtful look as he pondered that with a nod.

“If being with both of us makes her happy–well, I wanna see _Lyrica_ happy, just like I do my kids,” Richie sighed. “I mighta temporarily retired for now, but who says it’ll stay that way?”

“Which means that if ya _do_ make a comeback, at least you’d know your girl wasn’t lonely in _that_ sense,” the bassist mused.

“Well, that’s part of it,” he admitted. “I mean, speaking hypothetically here–let’s say I made such a comeback, and _you_ were the one who was home while I was out on the road.”

“Or the roles were reversed at any given Time,” Bobby pointed out.

“Exactly. I wouldn’t have to be without in that kinda sense, depending on when ya could make it out West,” the young woman finally spoke up. “And the kids’d still have a father figure in the picture, not to mention–dare I say it–siblings, if ya came out and brought your own kids with ya.”

“That’s definitely true,” he agreed. “I just dunno how we’d manage such a thing with me living in Florida, whether Zak and Zoe’re with me at any given Time or not.”

“That’s why we’d give it a _trial period,_ of sorts,” Richie chuckled. “See if you’re even compatible with each other before we went crazy and decided on anyone moving anywhere.”

“Especially since we _just_ got this house finished up,” she laughed.

“Fair enough,” the bassist said, nodding. “Just ’cuz we’re compatible as friends doesn’t mean we’ll be compatible as Romantic partners. And God knows I’m not uprooting my Life and half of my kids’ to move out here again, only to find out that shit between us isn’t gonna work out.”

“We’d never expect that outta ya,” Lyrica assured him, gently squeezing his hand. “No more than I expected Richie to give up his Music career for me and the kids.”

“I did that completely on my own,” the virtuoso chuckled when that garnered him a cocked brow. “I’d been thinking about it ever since Auggie was born, and now that Triton’s here, I figured there was no better Time to do it.”

“I guess not,” Bobby laughed. “Especially since I seem to recall ya having way more albums out than Poison does–and I’m talking _just_ as a solo artist.”

Unable to help a laugh of his own, Richie admitted that he’d thirteen solo albums out, now that _Get Up_ was released. When one added in the album he’d done with Poison, plus the two with Mr. Big, he technically had _sixteen_ albums on shelves. He definitely wasn’t hurting for money and prolly never would again, so any Future albums’d be purely for fun and to scratch his Creative itch, so to speak.

Now that they’d even brooched the topic with him, the bassist admitted that he wasn’t sure about _when_ they’d even attempt seeing how he and the young woman worked out as a couple. He was technically on tour till August fourth, provided that they didn’t wind up having to reschedule any dates so they were tacked on to the End of their tour. Provided that that kinda thing didn’t happen, they’d be wrapping up at the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre in Atlanta, Georgia just a few Days after the next Sabbat on the _Wheel of the Year_.

Once he finally got home again, Bobby admitted that he wasn’t gonna wanna do anything but veg at home and spend Time with his kids for about a month. After all, he hadn’t been able to work it out with their mother so that he got to take them on tour with him this Summer, so he was really missing them, as it was. Having to fight for his Time with them made it all the more preciousta him, and he wasn’t giving it up without a helluva fight.

Gently squeezing his hand again, Lyrica reiterated that she’d never ask him to give up anything that was that level of preciousta him. But she couldn’t help her somewhat Impish grin as she told him that they could technically use whatever Time he Intended to hide from his band to start getting to know each other in a Romantic sense. That depended on where he was supposed to be and when for his next show, ’cuz if it was only a couple Days away, she didn’t exactly wanna start anything they couldn’t even remotely finish. Course, that was assuming he didn’t Intend to give the trio of a blondes two middle fingers and a big _Fuck you!_ by not showing up to their next show.

“Technically, I’m supposed to be in Irvine tomorrow,” he chuckled. “But they pissed me off enough to give them that big _Fuck you!_ on that particular show.”

“What about after that?” the young woman queried curiously.

“Don’t have to be in Wisconsin till the twenty-sixth,” Bobby answered with a grin. “So, by skipping tomorrow’s show, that gives me a week to do whatever the fuck I wanna.”

“You’re actually gonna do that?” her boyfriend laughed.

“Kid, I shitcha not–if Bret’s not turning into even more of a diva than CC ever was, I’ll bend over and suck my own dick,” the bassist told him. “If I don’t give them a big _Fuck you!,_ my bass is gonna wind up being a weapon before the week’s out.”

“Let’s _not_ do that,” Lyrica giggled. “Not unless you’re sure ya can get away with murder, that is.”

“No way’s that happening, not on a tour,” he laughed. “Too many witnesses I’d have to kill alongside them, and that’s _waaaay_ too many gravesta dig.”

“Ya could just give them a Naval burial,” Richie snickered.

“Don’t be giving him ideas, love!” the young woman admonished him, gently slapping his chest.

“Wouldn’t matter, if he did,” Bobby chuckled. “Pretty sure most of our tour stops’re too far inland and not close enough to even a Lake that’s deep enough for that.”

“Ya both know what I mean,” she huffed as she crossed her arms over her swollen breasts.

“Yeah, we’re both smart enough for that, darlin’,” the bassist agreed. “I guess I’ma just hide out here for the next week and catch a flight to Wisconsin outta LAX once I need to leave again.”

“Consider yourself more than welcome,” Richie told him. “It’s not like we don’t have the Space, after all.”

“Thanks, kid,” he said, shooting them both a smile. “Ya know how it gets on the road.”

“Do I ever,” the virtuoso laughed, nodding. “Crammed into a rolling Tin can with at least half a dozen other guys for months on End, tripping over _their_ nuts as well as your own, all the Time zone Changes–and that’s not including illness, booking fuck-ups, and just getting _needy.”_

Bobby laughed as he nodded his agreement, but still couldn’t help a groan at the Thought of his last choice word. He couldn’t even remember the last Time he’d gotten laid, but if he’d to guess, he’d say it was prolly back toward the End of their last Tour. After getting off the road last September, he hadn’t bothered with seeking out a _Lady of the Night,_ as it were.

Hearing that made Lyrica shoot her boyfriend another one of those Impish grins, ’cuz while it sucked for the older brunette, it was actually just what she wanted to hear. Said older brunette looked confused as he burst into laughter, which was just barely muffled by the kiss he leaned down to give her. But he was even more confused when he gave his Blessing to whatever was running through her mind now once he’d straightened. There was clearly something he was missing, but he wasn’t entirely sure if he _wanted_ to ask, let alone if he even _should_.

Grinning as she turned her attention back to him, she told the bassist that one of the other things they’d been talking about involved that Night. She’d already shown Richie just what the _Great Rite_ was and how much fun it could be during _Ostara_ and _Beltane_. It was entirely up to him whether he wanted to tag in or not, so to speak–she wasn’t about forcing othersta bend to her whims, after all–but if he wanted to, she certainly wasn’t gonna argue.

A loud gasp preceded poor Bobby all but choking on his own spit when she said that, ’cuz he certainly hadn’t been expecting it. The young woman burst into laughter of her own as she let go of his hand so she could clap him on the back. If she were completely honest with even herself, it was definitely a surprising thing for a couple to think about, let alone discuss with each other. But that was part of polyamory–if they were gonna do that kinda thing, they’d to discuss certain topics with one another that other couples weren’t likely to. Granted, when they’d talked about it, they’d been aiming for this kinda thing to happen later in the Year, due to his tour schedule. His showing up here today just kinda fast-tracked things, should he decide to let his Curiosity get the better of him.

Once he’d Calmed down a few moments later, he looked up at both of them with an uncertain look on his face. He didn’t try to deny that he was _needy,_ as the virtuoso’d put it a few minutes ago, but he wasn’t sure that diving into even Ritual sex was a smart idea. Neither of them were surprised by that, nor him all but begging to at least give him the next few hoursta think it over before he decided either way. In fact, both the young woman and his former band mate encouraged him to think over what’d obviously be a Life-Changing decision for him. And they both made it clear that they weren’t gonna be offended, if he decided that he wanted to hold off on such shenanigans for a while.

Shooting them a grateful smile, Bobby nodded and said that he was gonna head inside so he could give them some alone Time while he was thinking over his options. He figured they’d already Intended to get some alone Time once the kids were napping, and that he was just gonna be a third wheel. What he didn’t realize was that they didn’t mind his company, but he didn’t stick around so he could find out.


End file.
